Vera, Gerardo

1999

A lush title sequence of naked bodies dissolving into one another, the flesh peeling back like the layers of an onion, opens this intense melodrama about one man's inability to face the complexities and destructiveness of his sexual desire. Starring two of Spain's hottest and sexiest male leads, the story centers on the failing marriage of artist Elena and aeronautical engineer Alberto, who is having a steamy affair with Diego, an orthopedic surgeon. Alberto constructs two lives for himself, moving back and forth undetected for some time. But when his wife is alerted to Alberto's infidelity, Diego begins to make demands on his time, pressing for a commitment and wanting to know more about his life. Alberto lashes out as his two worlds collide and grows more confused about his own true identity. "I've spent my entire life passing everyone else's tests." One can't help but think of the '70s film MAKING LOVE, which depicted a similar triangle between Kate Jackson, Michael Ontkean, and Harry Hamlin. However, SECOND SKIN is much less American, replacing that film's dispassionate almost clinical treatment with all the heat and fury engendered in such a difficult situation.

Villaronga, Agusti

1999

Agusti Villaronga continues his exploration of the shattering effects of war on the innocent and the conflict between religion and sexuality in THE SEA. In 1936, three children, in a violent and atrocious environment brought on by the Spanish Civil War, watch in horror as one of their playmates avenges his father's murder by killing the executioner's son. Distraught by his deed, the boy kills himself. This act haunts the remaining children, Francisca, Ramallo, and Tur for the rest of their lives. Several years later, they are reunited in a tuberculosis sanatorium. Francisca, now a nun, attends the sick and dying. Tur, "afraid of turning into someone bad that God will abandon," has become a religious fanatic, driven to self-flagellation for his unnatural attraction to Ramallo. And Ramallo boasts of his sexual exploits with women to the other boys in the ward, but is actually being kept by an older man and is controlled by his own amoral impulses. Like a scream caught in the throat, THE SEA is a quiet, surreal vision of pent up sexuality, religious fanaticism, and the horrors of the body..

Taylor, Jennifer Maytorena

1999

A short duet of humourous dance films about the grace of older women, the futility of consumerism and the transformative power of music.

Kaminsky, Michael Sean

1999

In RITUAL NATION Michael Sean Kaminsky and his compact digital video camera visit three unique alternative communities: the Rainbow Family in Oregon, the Radical Faeries in Tennessee, and the Burning Man Festival in Nevada. A cross country exploration of alternative community.

Salinaro, Steve

1999

A 41-year-old man attempts to recapture his youth with a little help from Clairol.

Ikuhara, Kunihiko

1999

[From IMDB]: "Utena has it all. Beauty. Passion. Faith. A sense of justice. She is the idol of her classmates at the exclusive Ohtori Academy. And yet, she is driven by a childhood memory of a prince on a white horse who comforted her when she was grieving over her parents' death, and who gave her an enigmatic signet ring emblazoned with a rose crest. This memory drives Utena to do the impossible: To become a prince, herself, as she duels the members of the Student Council to protect the mysterious 'Rose Bride.' "

Ritter, Esther

1999

A woman finally finds her 'perfect' real love. But, not everything is as it seems.

Beveridge, Scott

1999

1999

Dolak, Kelly
Platt, Liss

1999

Two butch 'girls' have a surreal encounter with some purses. A delightful short.